• (America) IPA: /ə.ˈkɔst/
• (cot-caught, Canada) IPA: /ə.ˈkɑst/
• (RP) IPA: /ə.ˈkɒst/

accost (accosts, present participle accosting; past and past participle accosted)

1. (transitive) To approach and speak to boldly or aggressively, as with a demand or request.
2. (transitive, obsolete) To join side to side; to border.
3. (by extension, transitive, obsolete) To sail along the coast or side of.
4. (transitive, obsolete) To approach; to come up to.
5. (transitive) To speak to first; to address; to greet.
   • 1851 November 13, Herman Melville, chapter 5, in Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers; London: Richard Bentley, OCLC 57395299 ↗:

     I quickly followed suit, and descending into the bar-room accosted the grinning landlord very pleasantly.

6. (intransitive, obsolete) To adjoin; to lie alongside.
7. (transitive) To assault.
8. (transitive) To solicit sexually.

• French: accoster
• Italian: affrontare, aggredire, inveire, molestare
• Portuguese: abordar
• Russian: обраща́ться

• Italian: accostare
• Portuguese: acostar

• French: aborder

• Italian: salutare

• French: aborder

• Russian: приставать

accost (plural accosts)

1. (rare) Address; greeting.
2. An attack.